How Do You Jew? Suzy Ultman Paints a Picture

[1:21]Zibby Owens: Hi. This is Zibby Owens, and you're listening to Totally Booked with Zibby. Formerly, moms don't have time to read books. In my daily show, I interview today's latest, best selling, buzziest, or underrated authors and story creators whose work I think is worth your time. As a bookstore owner, publisher, author, and obviously podcaster, I get a comprehensive look at everything that's coming out and spend my time curating the best books so you don't have to. Stay in the know, get insider insights, and connect with guests like I do every single day. For more information, go to zibbymedia.com, and follow me on Instagram at Zibby Owens.

[2:05]Suzy Ultman: Susie Ultman's books are all over my house. She is a master illustrator, and her collection of new children's books, board books, really tiny little board books with fabulous illustrations, are amazing. This one that we're talking about today is how do you Jew, a celebration of Jews around the world. And there are several others in this series about chutzpah and Shabbat Shalom. And taken as a set, they are just delightful. This is a perfect new baby gift. And actually, now that I'm saying that, I should order this for my cousin, which I will do once I finish recording this bio. Anyway, Susie Oldman has been creating toys and books for family and friends since childhood. A born storyteller, Susie is an illustrator, product designer, toy creator, and bookmaker of sophisticated and simple objects that inspire and delight Susie's signature products and her connection, community, and finding your place within our global family. When she isn't in her studio folding paper, designing textiles, or creating toys, she can be found strolling through antique shops, finding treasures at flea markets, and communing with nature. She's nested with her family and three sons in their cozy home in Ohio, and we had a really interesting conversation about what it means to be Jewish and how to create art that really resonates. Welcome, Susie. Thank you so much for coming on Totally Booked. I am holding a stack of four of your amazing illustrated board books, which you can discuss and which, as I've told you, have decorated my own home and which I absolutely love. Your most recent, How Do You Jew? A celebration of Jews around the world, also Shabbat Shalom. I like your chutzpah and other Yiddish words you'll like, and it's a mitzvah, small deeds with big heart. Well, I should have yeah. Okay. I I was like, I think I missed a subtitle. Anyway, congratulations. Congratulations. Nope. That's all on all of us. You. It's so exciting to see all four of them together because we I knew it was gonna be a collection before. So to be at this point and just all the love that went into each one along the way, it's just very exciting to see them see them all together. Is and is it's only four? This is it? Like, the set is complete? Well, there are going to be more. We're kind of we're we're doing more. It's going to be a new series, but inspired by this series. So That's exciting. Yeah. It's really exciting. Okay. Explain the board books. What makes them unique? Because they are unique, and it's not just your style of illustration. But why don't you take a stab at at explaining? At explaining board books? Actually, your your board books. Like, what what makes these Oh, my board books? Yeah. Oh, I think that, you know, the the process in which I got here, which is my formal training, is in graphic design. So I have this very, like, problem solve y, brand y kind of education in my brain. And then I've been doing the illustration for about seventeen years. And when I started doing illustration, I realized, like, a lot of my graphic design skills came in handy, like understanding color and branding and presentation and talking to clients. And then it allowed me to really express myself. Because with graphic design, you're a little bit more, like, behind the scenes doing what you're doing. It's not for you to really say, like, this is Susie Altman's graphic design. It's more for the client. So as I pro started getting into illustration, I got to really express myself and learn the ropes in the illustration world and find my voice. And then at a certain point, I brought some visual, a visual aid. I had been contemplating, it was during COVID, I was contemplating, I'm always thinking about what can I do for parents and families, and I had a lot of time to contemplate over COVID? And I was just, like, recognizing that it would be really helpful for several different reasons for me to tell a story that was really close to me, which was my Jewish stories, and that it would kind of help support other people feeling confident to tell their stories. It would help support the Jewish community. So it felt like a, like, a really important place for me to start exploring. And then my mom sent me this card. So it's a it's a postcard of honey and apples and Rosh Hashanah. For Rosh Hashanah. And it's a photograph, and it's it's very plain. And we've probably like, if if you're in the Jewish community, probably received a card like this. And I got it. I'm like, We can do so much better. Like, in the creative community, like, the contemporary Jewish community deserves so much better than this. So I'd already been thinking about the books and what I could do for families and for the author community. And then I got this card from my mom, and I really started putting into place, like, some ideas and working on that pitch. So I think what makes it me is, like, the the coming to it as a really from inside of me and my story, I started there, like, what what can I bring to the table? And then, like, I like to go really broad. I like to tell a big story. So even though they're small books, I like to look at it big picture, and I really wanted to do a series. So I found an agent, and she was super excited about what we were gonna do. And she helped guide me through the pitching process. I'd done board books before. I'd done books before. I'd author illustrated. I had illustrate illustrated with authors. But for this series, I really wanted pitch the entire series and land the entire series. And it was really great having my agent because I needed a cheerleader there to help guide me along that process because it it wasn't easy, and it was at the end of the day. So, like, it wasn't easy walking away from publishers that wanted to do one or two. But then when we found my editor at Penguin at the Rise Imprint, it just all made sense. So I think that makes it special too is that we knew that we had this series to explore these ideas. And my editor, who's also Jewish, like, right out of the gate, was like, yeah. Let's start with chutzpah. So we're like, we're not gonna do Hanukkah. We're not gonna do Passover. Like, we really wanna make this a Jewish culture series. And I that has this is actually the first series for this age group that has been done in this way that is that's culturally Jewish for the zero to five. And my editor and I are both very passionate about about that age group. So I think that's what makes it special, too, because it builds each book builds on the other one and gives families just something that they haven't, for that zero to five age group, haven't had before. And what I love about working with this age group is that parents are reading to kids. So you have the adults in the room with the kids getting the story and getting the representation. And if they're not, if it's somebody that's outside of the Jewish community, they can get excited about something new with their kids and they're learning together. So it's really, that always excites me too, that you've got a parent and child or a teacher and kids reading through those stories together. That was a really long answer. But, no, it was great. It was great. Have you, like, pitched this collection to all the temples and JCCs? Because I feel like they should live in all of those preschools and libraries as well. Yeah. I think it's getting out there. It's been I've got a really great team at Penguin who, you know, I'll send, like, lists of places that I'd like them to send the books. And so they're they're definitely finding their way into those libraries and the Jewish librarians out there associate the Jewish Library Association is, you know, getting the book out there as well. So we do we do have some support. It's just it's been wonderful seeing the support just from everybody, like the kids' book community, the Jewish community, especially with with coming out with chutzpah, so many people the intention of the book was to say, like, for me was to kind of remind people that Yiddish is still around and used, and that also it's, like, so widely used in our country. And part of that came from my husband, who's not Jewish and very much he's a writer and a word guy, he would say something. I'd say, that's a Yiddish word. And he's like, oh, I actually didn't know that. So it registered with me that I'm so You know, sometimes when you're so deep in your own story, you don't realize what it's doing outside of outside of you. I was like, Oh, that's really that's really interesting that it's used by other people, and they don't realize it. So Chutzpah really bridged a lot of different communities and families, and it's been really exciting to watch that happen. This is quite a different story from what many other Jewish authors are reporting in the context of the world today where there has been a lot of sort of gatekeeping and difficulty getting Jewish books out or finding that support. Have you encountered any resistance at all, or it's been a full on positive path? Well, I will so, you know, it's definitely been I'll I'll walk it back a little bit. I did a lot of my own work before I did the the books. So probably, like, about seven years ago when I decided I was gonna, like, really focus on Jewish product, I went to my therapist, and I was like, hey. I'm doing this thing, and I still carry a lot of fear around it. My grandparents survived the Holocaust. I it's like the the story of for a lot of us. And I grew up Every weekend, I went to their house for Friday night dinners, so we had a very close relationship. But I understood at a young age that things could change at any time and what kind of antisemitism was out there. And I'd been carrying that baggage with me because I'd had it since I was very little. And I knew if I went into this space that I needed to, like, understand it was okay to put it down and figure out, like, what the intention was behind the books and how I was going to move through everything. So before I even started going out there with my Jewish work, I kind of I knew that this was something that I was going to be up against within myself. So I needed to deal with myself first so that when I went out into the world, I could do what I wanted to do. So then fast forward to the the books coming out, and I was really lucky because my editor at Penguin is Jewish, and Penguin has been just amazing. I think they're very they're very much activists in their own right in terms of supporting their authors and their books. So I think I was very lucky in that sense. And then the Rise imprint itself is for author voices. It's for marginalized groups. So I was within a community of kids' book authors and illustrators that were all being supported under this in this environment, and Penguin ready to support that group. So in that way, it wasn't a problem getting them published and out there. But the, you know, the questions and the kind of figuring out the social media aspect of things and community members that I gained and community members that I lost strictly because I was doing Jewish content was a very real thing. And there were times that it felt very personal. And there were times when I had to, like I stepped away, probably like a lot of people, you know, just sort of regrouped and realigned myself with the reason that I was doing this and just kept, you know, putting one foot in front of the other. So I think in terms of, like, some of the backlash I saw with other authors where they were, like, disinvited to speak or not part of the con not even part of the conversation or the books were not being shown at bookstores. I did not experience that specifically, but I did experience a lot of, like, shift in community and expectations people had of me one way or the other because I was simply doing Jewish books. And the release of these books was just totally coincidental that it happened at this time, but also not. Because as a Jewish community, we've all been having this conversation about Israel for since we were little. So it's not it's that part's not new for us. And being in, you know, getting backlash for whatever's happening over there isn't really new for me. I experienced it as a teenager. When things happened in Israel, there was definitely I saw the backlash here in The US against the Jewish community. So I guess the long story is I think emotionally, I was sort of prepared for what I needed to do to deal with whatever I was going to come up against. It happened to be a much more unexpected journey than I thought it would be, but generally, I think accepted. And maybe it was because A Chutzpah was the first book that came out. So it's something that people really could wrap their heads around, generally speaking.

[14:56]Zibby Owens: Today's episode is sponsored by Quince. Summer always makes me rethink what I'm reaching for every day. Lighter fabrics, better materials, pieces that just feel good the moment you put them on and look effortless. That's why I keep coming back to Quince. They focus on high quality essentials. Think breathable linen, soft organic cotton, washable silk, but without the luxury markup. It's that rare balance where everything feels elevated, but still easy. Quince has beautiful everyday pieces like 100% European linen pants, dresses, and tops with styles starting at $32. Their denim is soft and easy to wear. I wear my jean jacket all the time. And their organic cotton sweaters are perfect for layering on cool summer nights. Everything at Quince is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. Quince works directly with ethical factories and cuts out the middlemen, so you're paying for quality, not brand markup. And it's not just clothing. Quince has really become a destination for elevated essentials across home, kitchen, bedding, and beyond, making it easy to bring a more premium feel into everyday life. In addition to my jean jacket, I recently got a white tank top dress with a beautiful cotton skirt that is absolutely gorgeous, and I can't wait for it to be warm enough so I can wear it every day, but it has been a cool spring. Elevate your summer wardrobe. Go to quince.com/zippy for free shipping on your order and 365 returns. Now available in Canada too. That's quince.com/zippy for free shipping and three hundred and sixty five day returns. Quince.com/zibby.

[17:38]Suzy Ultman: How do you continue to navigate the fear? Do you have fear anymore, or did you go to bed with the therapist? No. No. No. It's like, you know, it's that thing where you just embrace and you're like, okay. I like, I see you, and I know you're here, and I know what you're what you what you're coming from. There's a couple of different things. I mean, I did like, I wrote I have, like, my three reasons why I'm doing these books. Like, the first reason is for me, is for, like, little Susie, who was a friend love love being Jewish, but had that fear early on. Like, I didn't know how I would be how people would respond to me if I told them I was Jewish. And part of that was real and part of that was just the fear that I had because I knew my grandparents' story. So part of it is for little Susie to be like, it's okay. Like, you're just who you are. You have a lot of different sides to you. You're all these things, and you're Jewish, and you can be proud of all of them and feel joy in all of them and express all of them. And that is for her. So that's the one part. And the other part is for Jewish kids and families to see themselves reflected, not just during Hanukkah and not just in Holocaust stories, but, like, across the board in all the fun, great things, and everyday living to have, like you said, like, books you walk by every day, you're like, oh, that makes me happy. You know? It's for them. And then the third reason is just to bridge between communities, to start a conversation, to be able to answer questions for I was all I grew up in a town where it was a very it was a college town, small town, so I was one of five Jewish kids in a class of 500 people. So I was, most of the time, the first Jewish person people had met. So I'm very used to that conversation of, like, people asking me questions and letting them, like, know what it is to be Jewish and that I'm, you know and so that was very important to me. I'm also a middle child, so I'm very much like a bridge person. It's very much in my DNA to bring people together. And that was really, really important to me because I think the more conversations we can have, the better we all are. I, like, very much love to connect with people. And if there's anything I can do to help connect, like, one person to an idea of what being Jewish is and help them understand it, then I feel like I've done my job. So those are the three things. So I just keep coming back to that. Every time I get nervous or afraid or I get a response for something that isn't so positive, I just come back to, like, well, that's that's theirs. Like, that's something that they're working through. Like, what you know why you're doing this. And I just those are my three things. And if I go back to those, it helps kind of quiet the noise, and it allows me to be very, like, positive and engaged with the content. I love that. Did you end up designing a new Rosh Hashanah card? We don't have a Rosh Hashanah card yet. Come on, get on it. I know. I've got to I do have a you know, I have I've done a bunch of cards with Egg Press. They've been phenomenal, and they're really beautiful. We've done the Hanukkah cards and just some everyday fun cards. So the Rosh Hashanah card will will come. Yes. For sure. Because that's the biggest you know, that's when we give all of our cards. So We gotta Yeah. Toss your mom's old card and really get to the For sure. And stop the problem. Oh my gosh. I love it. Well, I feel like they are so happy. The books, the color, the illustrations have this, you know, wink, nod, you know, happiness with the font. I can't even I'm not a designer, so I can't articulate what I'm seeing and why it makes me so happy. But the shapes, the like, all of it. And all four of these books taken together are just incredibly adorable. So this will now be my go to baby gift for Jewish babies in particular. But I also think this is great for non Jewish kids because these are things that especially, like, it's a mitzvah and I like your chutzpah. These are things that for everybody. Everybody should know. Everybody should do good and and give back and how and be strong and I don't know. I think that a lot of Jewish values are obviously just great values and most kids can benefit. So They are. I look a lot to my Jewish upbringing. I feel like I had this really special scene. Even though was a small town and we were a small population in the town, because it was a university town, we had people from, like, all over the world and the country. So we had one synagogue, and it had to serve all those different experiences. And so we had this, like, really great young hippie rabbi who played the guitar. And it was a reconstructionist synagogue, but there were also some, like, reformed bits. And my parents grew up both grew up orthodox and were more conservative, like, in our in our house, like, with the holidays. So while, like, when we went to services, like, we learned Hebrew and everything was in Hebrew, but, like, the guitar was great. And my rabbi's ideas about, like, connecting God with nature and mitzvot and, like, that stuff very as a kid, I just remember, for me, it was it was really easy to engage with that, with the singing, with the, like, the idea of, like, nature and, like, going outside and, like, looking at trees and talking about that piece of things and very, like, playful approach to to Judaism, along with my parents who, like, we did, like, Passover very traditionally. And, you know, I couldn't you know, I at school with, like, the matzo sandwich crumbling all over the place. While my friends had, like, their Easter candy, and I'm, like, drooling, and I'm like, I can't have any of it because it's not kosher for Passover. So I'm glad I had that because I really got, like, this kind of, like, wide range of Jewish experiences, I think, in one in one childhood. That's amazing. I just love it. So I think all of that is all of that is in there, especially in the Shabbat, Shabbat Shalom. That's very much, like, what I I felt Shabbat was growing up, like, the feeling the feeling of it. Is there one thing you can share from the upcoming books, like, little sneak peek for the from the next books? Oh, sure. So the the new book, which the cover is out so I can talk about it, is a Pickle book. And I know it's been fascinating watching Pickles kind of pick up because we've been talking about this for a long time. My it's inspired by both sets of my grandparents. My mom's parents had a deli in Wilmington, Delaware, and she grew up in the deli. She'll still talk about how she like, people asked if she could slice the lox because she was really good at slicing lox. So I'd been wanting to do a deli book for a really long time, and then my other grandparents were in Chicago before they moved to our hometown. And they would when we would visit, they would take us to a place called the Pickle Barrel, and it was this amazing I don't remember if it was a restaurant. I just remember going in, and there were, like, barrels and barrels and barrels of pickles, and we would get to pick out. We'd get to, like, walk around and pick a pickle. So I'd wanted to really do a deli book to honor my mom's grandparents. And then I said, like, the pickle barrel in my head. And as I talked to my editor about it, we're like, let's, like, let's just focus on the pickle thing. So we have the pickle book. And then today, I just on Instagram posted a book that I coauthored called The Art of Jewish Joy, which is activities and crafts all based on, like, the spirit of Judaism and our holidays and traditions and whatnot. So yeah. Very exciting. I know. I feel pickles are definitely having a moment. They are they are having a moment. Yeah. Glad you're jumping on that even though, of course, it's been in the works for a long, long time. Yeah. Well, one of my big takeaways from this is that great idea that you have of having your three reasons why. What whatever it is that you are doing in your life and for whatever reason may be coming up against challenges or whatever, like, literally having it written there so you can refer back and give yourself the recommitment to it anytime you look. It's so easy and doable and effective, and I love that tip. I just love it. Oh, thank you. Thanks. Yeah. It's been it's been super helpful. I will say the other thing too is just having great cheerleaders in your corner. So I have some great cheerleaders who I know I can trust, and they'll tell me how it is and whether, you know, it's just telling me to keep doing what I'm doing or, you know, just listen. But I have some really great cheerleaders in my corner, and those are the people I I really try to listen to. Well, I am the most in your corner. I am a cheerleader now too. So Thank you so much. I love what you're doing. And Thank you so much. I'm such a big fan. So so thanks. Aw. Thank you for what you're doing too. Thank you for giving us all a platform. Oh, you're welcome. Okay. If I'm sending these as gifts, what is the best way to get the whole set at once? Oh, that's a really good question. So I am gonna, like, say this here, and maybe my editor will hear this. We've been taught we've been, like, slowly talking about maybe doing, like, a gift series so you can gift all four. So maybe that will happen. But if you wanna get all four, you can go to Barnes and Noble. You can go to your low I would encourage you to go to your local book stores. There are a lot of local bookstores that are carrying it, but anywhere bookstores are got are are, you can get them. And they are really nice as a whole as a whole series because each one does offer something very different. Well, I'm gonna definitely make sure we are carrying them at Zippy's bookshop for sure so that other people can come in. I'm almost positive we have a few, but maybe not all. So I'm gonna make sure. Anyway, very exciting, and thank you, Susie. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you, Susie. All the joy you bring. Thank

[27:32]Zibby Owens: you. Thank you. You as well. Alright. Bye bye. Thank you for listening to Totally Booked with Zibby, formerly moms don't have time to read books. If you loved the show, tell a friend, leave a review, follow me on Instagram at Zippy Owens, and spread the word. Thanks so much. Oh, and buy the books.